LIST: State Universities And Colleges Included In the Free Tuition Act

5 min read By eCompareMo on August 9, 2017

In 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law that will subsidize the education of students in 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs) nationwide.

The Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which was ratified by Congress, grants free tuition to students from SUCs, local colleges, and state-run technical-vocational learning centers. Before officially signing it into a law, Duterte already asked the Congress to make appropriations for the said bill.

In a report by the Philippine Star, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said that the first year of tuition assistance will start in 2018, as the current academic year had already started. Although heavily opposed, he said that the agency had yet to crunch the numbers before they could come up with an estimated budget for the upcoming year.

Scope and limitation

Under the Republic Act 10931, Filipinos can enjoy free higher education at SUCs and other state-run higher education centers “in pursuance of a bachelor’s degree, certificate degree, or any comparable undergraduate degree in any SUC and LUC.”

For a person to become eligible to free tuition, he must first pass the entrance examination and/or submit the necessary requirements to be fully admitted.

A screening body will determine if he has the financial capacity to pay for his tuition—and opt out of the free tuition program. The said screening committee will be created by each school eligible for free tuition.

Finally, the school will determine the amount they will require in order to remove the burden of tuition and other school fees from their students, which will further be used in the annual National Expenditure Program.

According to the law, the following criteria makes students exempted from not paying school fees:

• Students who have already attained a bachelor’s degree or any comparable undergraduate degree from any higher education institutions, whether public or.
• Students who fail to comply with the admission and retention policies of the SUC or LUC
• Students who fail to complete their bachelor’s degree or comparable undergraduate degree within a year after the period prescribed in their program
• For state-run technical-vocational institutions, students who have obtained a bachelor’s degree as well as those who have received a certificate or diploma for a technical-vocational course equivalent to at least National Certificate III and above
• Students who fail in any course enrolled during the program period

The list

There are eight SUCs in Metro Manila, 49 in the rest of Luzon, 26 in Visayas, and 31 in Mindanao. The following universtities and colleges are covered by the free tuition law:

National Capital Region (NCR)

• Eulogio ‘Amang’ Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology
• Marikina Polytechnic College
• Philippine Normal University
• Philippine State College of Aeronautics
• Polytechnic University of the Philippines
• Rizal Technological University
• Technological University of the Philippines
• University of the Philippines System

Region I – Ilocos Region

• Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University
• Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College
• Mariano Marcos State University
• North Luzon Philippines State College
• Pangasinan State University
• University of Northern Philippines

Cordillera Administrative Region

• Abra State Institute of Science and Technology
• Apayao State College
• Benguet State University
• Ifugao State University
• Kalinga State University
• Mountain Province State University

Region II – Cagayan Valley

• Batanes State College
• Cagayan State University
• Isabela State University
• Nueva Vizcaya State University
• Quirino State University

Region III – Central Luzon

• Aurora State College of Technology
• Bataan Peninsula State University
• Bulacan Agricultural State College
• Bulacan State University
• Central Luzon State
• Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University
• Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology
• Pampanga State Agricultural University
• Philippine Merchant Marine Academy
• Ramon Magsaysay Technological University
• Tarlac College of Agriculture
• Tarlac State University

Region IV-A – CALABARZON

• Batangas State University
• Cavite State University
• Laguna State Polytechnic University (Laguna State Polytechnic College)
• Southern Luzon State University
• University of Rizal System

Region IV-B – MIMAROPA

• Marinduque State College
• Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology
• Occidental Mindoro State College
• Palawan State University
• Romblon State University
• Western Philippines University

Region V – Bicol Region

• Bicol University
• Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology
• Camarines Norte State College
• Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges
• Catanduanes State University
• Central Bicol State University of Agriculture
• Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa, Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology
• Partido State University
• Sorsogon State College

Region VI – Western Visayas

• Aklan State University
• Capiz State University
• Carlos C. Hilado Memorial State College
• Guimaras State College
• Iloilo State College of Fisheries
• Central Philippines State University
• Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College
• Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology
• University of Antique
• Iloilo Science and Technology University
• West Visayas State University

Region VII – Central Visayas

• Bohol Island State University
• Cebu Normal University
• Cebu Technological University
• Negros Oriental State University
• Siquijor State College

Region VIII – Eastern Visayas

• Eastern Samar State University
• Eastern Visayas State University
• Leyte Normal University
• Naval State University
• Northwest Samar State University
• Palompom Polytechnic State University
• Samar State University
• Southern Leyte State University
• University of Eastern Philippines
• Visayas State University

Region IX – Zamboanga Peninsula

• J.H Cerilles State College
• Jose Rizal Memorial State University
• Western Mindanao State University
• Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College
• Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology

Region X – Northern Mindanao

• Bukidnon State University
• Camiguin Polytechnic State College
• Central Mindanao University
• University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines – Cagayan De Oro Campus
• MSU – Iligan Institute of Technology
• University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines – Claveria Campus
• Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology

Region XI – Davao Region

• Compostela Valley State College
• Davao Del Norte State College
• Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology
• Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology
• University of Southern Philippines

Region XII – Main SOCCSKSARGEN

• Cotabato State University
• Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology
• Sultan Kudarat State University
• University of Southern Mindanao

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

• Adiong Memorial Polytechnic State College
• Basilan State College
• Mindanao State University
• MSU-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography
• Sulu State College
• Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College

Region XIII – Caraga Administrative Region

• Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology
• Caraga State University (Northern Mindanao State Institute of Science and Technology)
• Surigao del Sur State University
• Surigao State College of Technology